Apr 21, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Bernama) -- Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would back only those who support him to become prime minister.

He said one would know whether Anwar was really a nationalist when one became closer to him.

"I believe the closer you are to him, the more you understand his personality. Is Anwar a nationalist? Actually, he's just fighting to become prime minister. If someone can support him to be prime minister; doesn't matter whether he's a Chinese, Hindu or whatever, he will support that person. That's why he supported Hindraf."

Dr Mahathir, who is Perkim (Malaysia Muslim Welfare Organisation) president, said this after attending a conference with religious teachers under the Education Ministry and Perkim members, here, today.

According to him, the withdrawal of some of Anwar's close allies from PKR showed that they eventually realised his true personality.

The latest development was that Anwar's personal doctor and Hulu Selangor PKR division treasurer, Datuk Dr Halili Rahmat, announced yesterday that he quit the party, saying that PKR had deviated from its original struggle since its founding in 1999.

On the allegation against Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the PKR candidate in the Hulu Selangor by-electon, that he was a drinker, Dr Mahathir said such an allegation was unavoidable.

"All is fair in love and war, and in the election. I was also a victim of various allegations... that I had a Chinese wife... had a wife in Singapore. This is politics. So, those who hear the allegations, should make their own evaluation."

Asked whether the personal attacks (against Zaid) could give Barisan Nasional a win, Dr Mahathir said: "May be, may be not. It's up to the voters."

In another development, Dr Mahathir said trade ties between Malaysia and Iran could be affected if Petronas was forbidden to supply gasoline to Iran.

"Datuk Seri Najib (prime minister) denied he disallowed (Petronas). This is a commercial deal. It's Petronas' right to sell the fuel to whoever," he said.

The foreign media had earlier reported Najib as saying that Malaysia had stopped supplying gasoline to Iran, but the purported statement was refuted by the prime minister and said that it was merely a commercial transaction.

Asked about formal sex education for the young, Dr Mahathir said it was not necessary as it was already part of Islamic Studies and Moral Education taught in schools.

He said what was important was to make students understand and teach them how to control their desires, so so to prevent unwanted pregnancies and throwing away of unwanted babies at rubbish dumps and elsewhere.